Personal Care Compositions with Improved Hyposensitivity

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides personal care compositions comprising a carrier and a mixture of essential oil components having specific levels of eucalyptol, terpene materials and auxiliary fragrance materials. The compositions herein gentle to skin and have a fragrance and activity similar if the composition were made using the pure extracted essential oil.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.11/144,313, filed on Jun. 3, 2005.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of personal care compositionscomprising essential oils. More specifically, the present inventionprovides personal care compositions comprising a mixture of essentialoil components having improved hyposensitivity whilst maintainingwell-rounded fragrance characteristics and aromatherapeutic application.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Many personal care compositions on the market today contain essentialoils as fragrances, and more recently as active ingredients useful forthe treatment of a variety of ailments. Such uses have been generatedout of the interest associated with aromatherapy, in which variousessential oils are vaporized and inhaled by the user. This practice hasled to the use of rosemary and lavender oils for relaxation, eucalyptusand citrus oils for the treatment of respiratory infections, and avariety of other novel oils used as analgesics, muscle relaxants and thelike.

Essential oils are a mixture of chemical entities, the majority of whichare terpene-like materials. Each essential oil comprises a uniquemixture of terpenes and other similar materials that provide theindividual fragrance and activity of the essential oil. The compositionof an essential oil is dependent not only upon the source of the oil,but also upon the method of extraction. Different extraction methods cangenerate essential oils having differing levels and ratios of importantcomponents, and this in turn can result in essential oils havingdifferent fragrance and activity profiles, despite being isolated fromthe same source.

A problem associated with essential oils is the fact that they cancontain auxiliary fragrance materials some of which are recognized aspotential allergens and/or irritating agents. These materials, in aproportion of the population, can cause hypersensitivity-type reactions,or skin irritation, manifested as skin redness, burning, itching, and insevere cases, edema and skin peeling. Unfortunately, these sameauxiliary fragrance materials such as limonene, linalool, benzyl alcoholand geraniol in combination with terpenes such as—and -pineneand—phellandrene are typically fundamental to the fragrance of theessential oil and, in some instances, required for the purportedaromatherapeutic activity of the oil in question. By simply eliminatingthese auxiliary fragrance materials in the essential oil, the oiltypically does not meet the user's expectation in both fragrance impactand roundness and aromatherapeutic activity. Therefore, a need existsfor personal care compositions comprising essential oils or materialsthereof, which have improved allergen profiles. More precisely, a needexists for personal care compositions comprising essential oils thathave reduced levels of auxiliary fragrance materials, but also a selectlevel and ratio of these materials in combination with a base fragranceand specific terpene materials in order to deliver the fragrance andactivity of the essential oil without associated sensitivity problems.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,298,238 to Hussein et al. discloses liquid oralcompositions comprising deterpenated and fractionated peppermint oil.The compositions therein comprise very low levels of 1,8-cineole,—and-pinenes and linalool and limonene. US Application 2003/0012830 A1discloses a topical composition comprising eucalyptol, -pinene andacetone. EP 1048293 A discloses head-lice treatment compositionscomprising eucalyptol and limonene in water. WO 98/17749 discloses anessential oil extracted from the shrub Kunzea Ambigua which containshigh levels of—and -pinenes. WO 98/17229 discloses medicamentscomprising at least 25% eucalyptol, and at least 25% limonene. USApplication 2003/0113277 A1 discloses oral care compositions comprisingeucalyptol and limonene for masking the taste of phenolics such astriclosan present in the compositions. The above compositions either donot deliver the required reduced level of auxiliary fragrance materialsto avoid sensitivity reactions and therefore are not hyposensitiveformulae, or do not contain enough auxiliary fragrance materials togenerate a well-rounded fragrance or associated aromatherapeuticactivity.

It has been found that personal care compositions can be formulated withessential oil component materials that reconstitute the essential oil inthe composition to maximize the fragrance and activity associated withthe essential oils therein, whilst improving the hyposensitivity of thecompositions by selectively blending the constituent fragrancematerials. It has further been found that removing the auxiliaryfragrance materials entirely lessens the impact of the essential oil,and that by incorporating these materials at low levels and in selectratios with other terpene materials, a mixture is generated havingfragrance and activity similar to the pure extracted essential oil thatis gentle to skin.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed towards providing personal carecompositions comprising:

-   -   a) from 0.01% to 15% eucalyptol;    -   b) from 0.01% to 10% terpene material comprising -pinene,        -pinene, -phellandrene, para-cymene or mixtures thereof;    -   c) from 0.0001% to 0.01% auxiliary fragrance material comprising        amyl cinnamal, benzyl alcohol, cinnamal alcohol, citral,        eugenol, hydroxy-citronellal, isoeugenol, amylcin-namyl alcohol,        benzyl-salicylate, cinnamal, coumarin, geraniol,        hydroxy-methylpentyl-cyclohexanecarboxaldehyde, anisyl alcohol,        benzyl cinnamate, farnesol,        2(4-tert-butylbenzylpropionaldehyde), linalool, benzyl benzoate,        citronellol, hexyl cinnam-aldehyde, limonene, methyl heptin        carbonate,        3-methyl-4-(2,6,6-tri-methyl-2-cyclohexen-1-yl)-3-buten-2-one,        or mixtures thereof;    -   d) a carrier.        The compositions herein are gentle to skin and have a fragrance        and activity similar if the composition were made using the pure        extracted essential oil.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

All weights, measurements and concentrations herein are measured at 25°C. on the composition in its entirety, unless otherwise specified.

Unless otherwise indicated, all percentages of compositions referred toherein are weight percentages and all ratios are weight ratios.

Unless otherwise indicated, all molecular weights are weight averagemolecular weights.

Unless otherwise indicated, the content of all literature sourcesreferred to within this text are incorporated herein in full byreference.

Except where specific examples of actual measured values are presented,numerical values referred to herein should be considered to be qualifiedby the word “about”.

Active and other ingredients useful herein may be categorized ordescribed herein by their cosmetic and/or therapeutic benefit or theirpostulated mode of action. However, it is to be understood that theactive and other ingredients useful herein can in some instances providemore than one cosmetic and/or therapeutic benefit or operate via morethan one mode of action. Therefore classifications herein are made forthe sake of convenience and are not intended to limit an ingredient tothe particularly stated application or applications listed.

The personal care compositions of the present invention comprise:

-   -   a) from 0.01% to 15% eucalyptol;    -   b) from 0.01% to 10% terpene material comprising -pinene,        -pinene, -phellandrene, para-cymene or mixtures thereof;    -   c) from 0.0001% to 0.01% auxiliary fragrance material comprising        amyl cinnamal, benzyl alcohol, cinnamal alcohol, citral,        eugenol, hydroxy-citronellal, isoeugenol, amylcin-namyl alcohol,        benzyl-salicylate, cinnamal, coumarin, geraniol,        hydroxy-methylpentyl-cyclohexanecarboxaldehyde, anisyl alcohol,        benzyl cinnamate, farnesol,        2(4-tert-butylbenzylpropionaldehyde), linalool, benzyl benzoate,        citronellol, hexyl cinnam-aldehyde, limonene, methyl heptin        carbonate,        3-methyl-4-(2,6,6-tri-methyl-2-cyclohexen-1-yl)-3-buten-2-one,        or mixtures thereof;    -   d) a carrier.

The compositions herein are gentle to skin and have a fragrance andaromatherapeutic activity almost as if the composition were made usingthe pure extracted essential oil.

The personal care compositions of the present invention comprise a basefragrance material. The base fragrance material of the present inventioncomprises eucalyptol. Eucalyptol is also known as 1,8-cineole, and is aterpene-like material isolated from and named for eucalyptus essentialoil. Eucalyptol is widely found in essential oils and used in syntheticfragrances in varying amounts. It is thought to be an importantcomponent of eucalyptus oil and other essential oils, and responsiblefor a wide variety of activities and fragrances associated therewith.Eucalyptol generally has a chemical structure as set out below:

The personal care compositions of the present invention comprise fromabout 0.01% to about 15% eucalyptol. Preferably the personal carecompositions herein comprise from about 0.1% to about 10%, morepreferably from about 0.2% to about 8%, more preferably still from about0.5% to about 5% eucalyptol by weight.

Eucalyptol is commercially available extracted from natural sources suchas eucalyptus oil. Suitable examples of commercially available sourcesinclude eucalyptol available from Symrise (UK), Frey and Lau (UK) or FDL(UK).

The personal care compositions of the present invention further comprisea terpene material. Said terpene material comprises -pinene, -pinene,-phellandrene, para-cymene or mixtures thereof. Without wishing to bebound by theory, it is believed that the terpene material is usefulherein, in combination with the allergenic fragrance material, forgenerating the characteristic fragrance notes, and providing effectssuch as relaxation, calming, muscle relaxation and analgesia associatedwith essential oils such as eucalyptus, rosemary and lavender.

The compositions of the present invention comprise from about 0.01% toabout 10% terpene material, preferably from about 0.1% to about 6%, morepreferably from about 0.5% to about 5% terpene material by weight, morepreferably still from 0.5% to 4%.

The terpene materials according to the present invention correspond tothe chemicals having the structure as set out in the table below.

Name Structure -pinene

  α-Pinen -pinene

  β-Pinen -phellandrene

Para-cymene

The personal care compositions of the present invention comprise fromabout 0.0001% to about 0.01% auxiliary fragrance material. The auxiliaryfragrance material of the present invention comprises amyl cinnamal,benzyl alcohol, cinnamal alcohol, citral, eugenol, hydroxy-citronellal,isoeugenol, amylcin-namyl alcohol, benzyl-salicylate, cinnamal,coumarin, geraniol, hydroxy-methylpentylcyclohexanecarboxaldehyde,anisyl alcohol, benzyl cinnamate, farnesol,2(4-tert-butylbenzylpropionaldehyde), linalool, benzyl benzoate,citronellol, hexyl cinnam-aldehyde, limonene, methyl heptin carbonate,3-methyl-4-(2,6,6-tri-methyl-2-cyclohexen-1-yl)-3-buten-2-one, ormixtures thereof. Preferably said auxiliary fragrance materialcomprising limonene, linalool, benzyl alcohol, geraniol or mixturesthereof. Auxiliary fragrance materials are materials that are recognizedas potentially potent allergens and/or irritating agents. Thesematerials, in a proportion of the population, can causehypersensitivity-type reactions, or skin irritation, manifested as skinredness, burning, itching, and in severe cases, edema and skin peeling.Unfortunately, these same materials are typically fundamental to thefragrance of the essential oil and, in some instances, required for thepurported aromatherapeutic activity. However, simply removing thesematerials reduces the fragrance and effectives of the personal carecomposition. Without wishing to be bound by theory, it is believed thatthe compositions herein, by using these auxiliary fragrance materials atlevels that typically do not generate sensitivity reactions, but whilststill being present in the composition, generates a subliminal fragrancechange to the user, and is capable of providing the aromatherapeuticactivities associated with pure essential oils.

The personal care compositions of the present invention preferablycomprise from about 0.0001% to about 0.005% auxiliary fragrancematerials, more preferably from about 0.0001% to about 0.001%.Preferably, the terpene material and the auxiliary fragrance materialare formulated in the personal care compositions herein in ratios thatenable the materials to act synergistically to provide fragrance andactive benefits, whilst not generating a sensitivity-type response.Without being limited by theory, it is believed that both the auxiliaryfragrance materials and terpene materials are essential to elicit theconsumer response to essential oils, however, the combination hereinallows the amount of auxiliary fragrance material present to be limitedwhilst still providing fragrance and active benefits. Preferably theratio of terpene material to auxiliary fragrance material is from about1:1 to about 1:10000, more preferably from about 1:10 to about 1:1000.

The personal care compositions of the present invention further comprisea carrier. The carrier may be any material capable of carrying anddelivering the fragrance materials herein in a stable andconsumer-aesthetic form. Such carriers must also be suitable forapplication to the skin, hair, oral mucosa, preferably the skin (i.e.topical application), more preferably sensitive skin such as that of ababy.

Suitable carriers include water, C₂ to C₆ monohydric alcohols,petrolatum, fluid silicone materials such as dimethicones, or mixturesthereof. Preferred carriers herein include water, petrolatum, ormixtures thereof. Preferably, the compositions of the present inventioncomprise from about 1% to about 99.9799% carrier, more preferably fromabout 40% to about 95%, more preferably still from about 50% to about93% carrier.

The personal care compositions of the present invention may be in anyform suitable for consumer use. The compositions may be formulated as aleave-on composition or a rinse-off composition. As used herein,“leave-on compositions” includes products that are intended to beapplied to a bodily surface of a consumer such as the skin or hair andmaintained on the surface for a prolonged time, preferably at least 5minutes, more preferably at least 30 minutes, without being activelyremoved by washing, rinsing, wiping, rubbing or other forms ofmechanical removal. As used herein, “rinse-off compositions” includescompositions that are intended to be applied to a bodily surface of aconsumer, such as the skin or hair, and subsequently removed by washing,rinsing, wiping, rubbing or other forms of mechanical removal withinless than 5 minutes of application. Preferably, the composition is aleave-on composition.

The personal care composition of the present invention may be formulatedas a lotion, an aerosol, a cream, a gel, a, liquid, a viscous liquid, ora paste. Alternatively, the compositions herein may comprise a patchthat can be applied to the user's body or clothing. Preferably, suchpatches comprise an adhesive layer that enables attachment to the user'sbody or clothing. In a further alternative embodiment, the compositionsherein need not be applied directly to the user's body or clothing, butrather be applied to an object that is positioned near to the user. Thistype of delivery method comprises dispensing the composition either as aseries of droplets or via atomization (i.e. aerosol) onto a substratesuch as the cloth of a pillow case, or a handkerchief. As used herein,“liquid” includes compositions having a viscosity of less than 10 mPa·sat 25° C. As used herein, “viscous liquid” means a liquid compositionthat has a viscosity of from about 10 mPa·s to about 300000 mPa·s whenmeasured at 25° C., more prefereably from 50 mPa·s to 150 000 mPa·s.Viscosity herein is measured on neat composition using a Brookfield RVT,T-C Spindle at 5 rpms and Heliopath Stand. Viscous liquid compositionshave a viscosity that is greater than that of water, and typicallyprovide improved application characteristics when compared with productshaving a viscosity similar to that of water when applied directly by theuser using manual (i.e. hand) application. Liquid compositions arepreferable when dispensed as an aerosol or droplets. Preferably thepersonal care compositions of the present invention are a liquid,viscous liquid or gel.

Where the carrier comprises water or other low viscosity, liquidmaterial, it may be preferable to increase the viscosity of thecomposition by employing a thickening agent. The compositions of thepresent invention comprise from about 0.1% to about 5%, preferably fromabout 0.1% to about 3%, and more preferably from about 0.25% to about2%, thickening agent by weight of the composition.

Suitable thickening agents include cellulose and derivatives such ascellulose, carboxymethyl hydroxyethylcellulose, cellulose acetatepropionate carboxylate, hydroxyethylcellulose, hydroxyethylethylcellulose, hydroxypropyl-cellulose, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose,methyl hydroxyethylcellulose, micro-crystalline cellulose, sodiumcellulose sulfate, and mixtures thereof. Also useful herein are thealkyl-substituted celluloses. In these polymers, the hydroxy groups ofthe cellulose polymer is hydroxyalkylated (preferably hydroxyethylatedor hydroxypropylated) to form a hydroxyalkylated cellulose which is thenfurther modified with a C₁₀-C₃₀ straight chain or branched chain alkylgroup through an ether linkage. Typically these polymers are ethers ofC₁₀-C₃₀ straight or branched chain alcohols with hydroxyalkylcelluloses.Examples of alkyl groups useful herein include those selected from thegroup consisting of stearyl, isostearyl, lauryl, myristyl, cetyl,isocetyl, cocoyl (i.e. alkyl groups derived from the alcohols of coconutoil), palmityl, oleyl, linoleyl, linolenyl, ricinoleyl, behenyl, andmixtures thereof. Preferred among the alkyl hydroxyalkyl celluloseethers is the material given the CTFA designation cetylhydroxyethylcellulose, which is the ether of cetyl alcohol andhydroxyethylcellulose. This material is sold under the tradenameNatrosol™ CS Plus from Aqualon Corporation.

Other useful thickeners include acacia, agar, algin, alginic acid,ammonium alginate, amylopectin, calcium alginate, calcium carrageenan,carnitine, carrageenan, dextrin, gelatin, gellan gum, guar gum, guarhydroxypropyltrimonium chloride, hectorite, hyaluroinic acid, hydratedsilica, hydroxypropyl chitosan, hydroxypropyl guar, karaya gum, kelp,locust bean gum, natto gum, potassium alginate, potassium carrageenan,propylene glycol alginate, sclerotium gum, sodium carboxymethyl dextran,sodium carrageenan, tragacanth gum, xanthan gum, and mixtures thereof.Also useful are acrylic acid/ethyl acrylate copolymers and thecarboxyvinyl polymers sold by the B.F. Goodrich Company under thetrademark of Carbopol resins. Suitable Carbopol resins are described inWO98/22085.

Preferred compositions of the present invention include a thickeningagent selected from carboxylic acid polymers, crosslinked polyacrylates,polyacrylamides, xanthan gum and mixtures thereof, more preferablyselected polyacrylamide polymers, xanthan gum and mixtures thereof.Preferred polyacrylamides are predispersed in a water-immiscible solventsuch as mineral oil and the like, containing a surfactant (HLB fromabout 7 to about 10) which helps to facilitate water dispersibility ofthe polyacrylamide. Also preferred for use herein is the non-ionicpolymer under the CTFA designation: polyacrylamide and isoparaffin andlaureth-7, available under the trade name Sepigel 305 from SeppicCorporation. More preferred for use herein are the co-polymercompositions commercially available from BASF Corp. under the tradenameLuvigel EM™ and the co-polymer compositions available from CIBASpeciality Chemicals, Macclesfield, UK, under the tradename SalcareSC91™.

The personal care compositions of the present invention may furthercomprise emollient materials including branched chain hydrocarbonshaving an weight average molecular weight of from about 100 to about15,000, preferably from about 100 to 1000; compounds of formula I:

wherein R¹ is selected from H or CH₃, R², R³ and R⁴ are independentlyselected from C₁-C₂₀ straight chain or branched chain alkyl, and x is aninteger of from 1-20; and compounds having the formula (II):

wherein R⁵ is selected from optionally hydroxy or C₁-C₄ alkylsubstituted benzyl and R₆ is selected from C₁-C₂₀ branched or straightchain alkyl; and mixtures thereof.

Suitable branched chain hydrocarbons for use herein include isododecane,isohexadecane, isoeicosane, isooctahexacontane,isohexapentacontahectane, isopentacontaoctactane, and mixture thereof.Suitable for use herein are branched chain aliphatic hydrocarbons soldunder the trade name Permethyl™ and commercially available fromPresperse Inc., P.O. Box 735, South Plainfield, N.J. 07080, U.S.A.Suitable ester emollient materials of Formula I above include, but arenot limited to, methyl isostearate, isopropyl isostearate, isostearylneopentanoate. isononyl isononanoate, isodecyl octanoate, isodecylisononanoate, tridecyl isononanoate, myristyl octanoate, octylpelargonate, octyl isononanoate, myristyl myristate, myristylneopentanoate, myristyl octanoate, myristyl propionate, isopropylmyristate and mixtures thereof. Suitable ester emollient materials ofFormula (II) include but are not limited to C12-15 alkyl benzoates.

Preferred emollients for use herein are isohexadecane, isononylisononanoate, methyl isostearate, isopropyl isostearate, and mixturesthereof.

The emollient material is preferably present in the compositions at alevel of from about 0.1% to about 10%.

The compositions herein may comprise an emulsifier and/or surfactant.For convenience hereinafter emulsifiers will be referred to under theterm ‘surfactants’, thus ‘surfactant(s)’ will be used to refer tosurface active agents whether used as emulsifiers or for othersurfactant purposes such as skin cleansing. Known or conventionalsurfactants can be used in the composition, provided that the selectedagent is chemically and physically compatible with essential componentsof the composition, and provides the desired characteristics.

The compositions of the present invention preferably comprise from about0.05% to about 20% of a surfactant or mixture of surfactants. The exactsurfactant or surfactant mixture chosen will depend upon the intendeduse, pH and the other components present in the composition. Surfactantssuitable for use herein include anionic surfactants, cationicsurfactants, zwitterionic surfactants, nonionic surfactants, or mixturesthereof.

Suitable nonionic surfactants useful herein are those that can bebroadly defined as condensation products of long chain alcohols, e.g.C₈₋₃₀ alcohols, with sugar or starch polymers, i.e., glycosides.Preferred examples include a mixture of cetearyl glucosides and cetearylalcohols such as those commercially available as Montanov 68™ fromSeppic and Emulgade PL68/50™ available from Henkel.

Other useful nonionic surfactants include the condensation products ofalkylene oxides with fatty acids (i.e. alkylene oxide esters or diestersof fatty acids). Other nonionic surfactants are the condensationproducts of alkylene oxides with fatty alcohols (i.e. alkylene oxideethers of fatty alcohols). Still other nonionic surfactants are thecondensation products of alkylene oxides with both fatty acids and fattyalcohols. Still other useful nonionic surfactants include poly-hydroxyfatty acid amide surfactants, which are described in more detail inWO98/04241. Other nonionic surfactants suitable for use herein includesugar esters and polyesters, alkoxylated sugar esters and polyesters,C₁-C₃₀ fatty acid esters of C₁-C₃₀ fatty alcohols, alkoxylatedderivatives of C₁-C₃₀ fatty acid esters of C₁-C₃₀ fatty alcohols,alkoxylated ethers of C1-C30 fatty alcohols, poly-glyceryl esters ofC₁-C₃₀ fatty acids, C₁-C₃₀ esters of polyols, C₁-C₃₀ ethers of polyols,alkyl phosphates, polyoxyalkylene fatty ether phosphates, fatty acidamides, acyl lactylates, and mixtures thereof. Other nonionicsurfactants useful herein are fatty acid ester blends based on a mixtureof sorbitan or sorbitol fatty acid ester and sucrose fatty acid ester,the fatty acid in each instance being preferably C₈-C₂₄, more preferablyC₁₀-C_(20,) commercially available examples of which include Arlatone2121™ available from ICI.

Anionic surfactants are also useful in the present compositions. See,e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 3,929,678, to Laughlin et al., issued Dec. 30, 1975.Exemplary anionic surfactants include the alkoyl isethionates (e.g.,C₁₂-C₃₀), alkyl and alkyl ether sulfates and salts thereof, alkyl andalkyl ether phosphates and salts thereof, alkyl methyl taurates (e.g.,C₁₂-C₃₀), and soaps (e.g., alkali metal salts, e.g., sodium or potassiumsalts) of fatty acids.

Amphoteric and zwitterionic surfactants are also useful herein. Examplesof amphoteric and zwitterionic surfactants which can be used in thecompositions of the present invention are those which are broadlydescribed as derivatives of aliphatic secondary and tertiary amines inwhich the aliphatic radical can be straight or branched chain andwherein one of the aliphatic substituents contains from about 8 to about22 carbon atoms (preferably C₈-C₁₈) and one contains an anionic watersolubilising group, e.g., carboxy, sulfonate, sulfate, phosphate, orphosphonate. Examples are alkyl imino acetates, and iminodialkanoatesand aminoalkanoates, imidazolinium and ammonium derivatives. Othersuitable amphoteric and zwitterionic surfactants are those selected fromthe group consisting of betaines, sultaines, hydroxysultaines, alkylsarcosinates (e.g., C₁₂-C₃₀), and alkanoyl sarcosinates.

Emulsions of the present invention may include a silicone containingemulsifier or surfactant. A wide variety of silicone emulsifiers areuseful herein. These silicone emulsifiers are typically organicallymodified organopolysiloxanes, also known to those skilled in the art assilicone surfactants. Useful silicone emulsifiers include dimethiconecopolyols. Other examples include alkyl-modified dimethicone copolyols,i.e., compounds that contain C₂-C₃₀ pendant side chains. Still otheruseful dimethicone copolyols include materials having various cationic,anionic, amphoteric, and zwitterionic pendant moieties.

The personal care compositions of the present invention may furthercomprise chamomile oil. Chamomile oil is useful in the present inventionwhere the personal care composition is intended for use with babies orinfants. Chamomile oil is hypoallergenic, and provides a soothingfragrance that babies and infants find pleasant. The personal carecompositions preferably comprise from 0.0001% to 2% chamomile oil.Commercially available sources of chamomile oil include Bontou (FR),Payan & Betrand (FR) and Citrus & Allied (US).

The personal care compositions of the present invention may furtherinclude other perfume or fragrance materials that are acceptable toconsumers, whilst not altering the hyposensitivity profile of thecompositions herein. Suitable perfume or fragrance materials are knownto those skilled in the art including chemical musk compounds, chemicalwood compounds, chemical powder compounds, and chemical floralcompounds. Non-limiting examples of fragrance materials suitable for useherein include cajeput oil, fennel oil, geranium oil, girfole oil, lemonoil, spearmint oil, myrtle oil, oregano oil, pine oil, sarriette oil,thyme oil, tea-tree oil or mixtures thereof. Furthermore, fragrancematerials may further comprise the chemical constituents of essentialoils such as vanillin, ethyl vanillin, musk, methyl-dihydro-jasmonate,anethol, catechole, camphene, ferulic acid, farnesol, hinokitiol,tropolone, menthol, methyl salicylate, carvacol, terpineol, verbenone,berbinene, ratanhiae extract, caryophellene oxide, citronella acid,curcumin, nerolidol or mixtures thereof. These materials may be used atlevels and ratios known to those skilled in the art of mixing fragrancematerials for personal care compositions, whilst maintaining the levelsof base fragrance comprising eucalyptol, terpene materials and auxiliaryfragrance materials according to the present invention.

The personal care compositions of the present invention may furthercomprise active ingredients. Suitable active ingredients include skinbenefit agents, analgesics, anesthetics, neutralizing agents,sunscreening agents or mixtures thereof. The compositions of the presentinvention preferably comprise from about 0.01% to about 20% of theseactive ingredients.

Analgesic, antipyretic and anti-inflammatory agents useful hereininclude, but are not restricted to the group comprising acetaminophen,aspirin, diclofenac, diflunisal, etodolac, fenoprofen, flurbiprofen,ibuprofen, ketoprofen, ketorolac, nabumetone, naproxen, piroxicam,caffeine, eugenol, thymol, or mixtures thereof. Local anesthetics usefulherein include lidocaine, benzocaine, phenol, dyclonine, benzonotate, ormixtures thereof.

Water-soluble skin benefit agents useful herein include vitamin B₃compounds, humectants, amino acids, vitamin C compounds, panthenol andderivatives, or mixtures thereof. Suitable oil soluble actives for useherein include vitamin E and its derivatives, salicylic acid and otherbeta-hydroxy acids, perfumes and occlusion materials, and mixturesthereof.

Another optional ingredient is neutralizing agents. Neutralizing agentssuitable for use in neutralizing acidic groups containing hydrophilicgelling agents herein include sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide,ammonium hydroxide, monoethanolamine, diethanolamine, amino methylpropanol, tris-buffer and triethanolamine.

A further optional component may comprise sunscreening agents. Preferredamong those sunscreens which are useful in the compositions of theinvention are those selected from 2-ethylhexyl p-methoxycinnamate,2-ethylhexyl N,N-dimethyl-p-aminobenzoate, p-aminobenzoic acid,2-phenylbenzimidazole-5-sulfonic acid, octocrylene, oxybenzone,homomenthyl salicylate, octyl salicylate,4,4′-methoxy-t-butyldibenzoylmethane, 4-isopropyl dibenzoylmethane,3-benzylidene camphor, 3-(4-methylbenzylidene) camphor, titaniumdioxide, zinc oxide, silica, iron oxide, Parsol MCX, Eusolex 6300,Octocrylene, Parsol 1789, and mixtures thereof.

Generally, the sunscreens can comprise from about 0.5% to about 20% ofthe compositions useful herein. Exact amounts will vary depending uponthe sunscreen chosen and the desired Sun Protection Factor (SPF). SPF isa commonly used measure of photoprotection of a sunscreen againsterythema. See Federal Register, Vol. 43, No. 166, pp. 38206-38269, Aug.25, 1978.

The personal care compositions herein are preferably in the form of anemulsion, such as a water-in-oil or oil-in-water emulsion. The oil phasemay contain different materials, or different combinations of materials,or may contain multiple oil phases. The total level of oil phasecomponents in the compositions of the invention is typically from about0.1% to about 60%, preferably from about 1% to about 30%, morepreferably from about 3% to about 20% and most preferably from about 5%to about 15%.

In preferred embodiments, the oil phase preferably comprises oilycomponents such as a natural or synthetic oils selected from mineral,vegetable, and animal oils, fats and waxes, fatty acid esters, fattyalcohols, fatty acids and mixtures thereof. Preferred for use herein arefor example, saturated and unsaturated fatty alcohols such as behenylalcohol, cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol and hydrocarbons such asmineral oils.

Preparation

The personal care compositions of the present invention are preparedtypically as “reconstituted essential oils” dispersed in a carrier. Theterm “reconstituted essential oils” herein includes essential oils thatare generated by mixing together individual raw materials in levels andratios that, when dispersed in the composition, correspond to the levelsof the present invention. Furthermore, “reconstituted essential oils”includes fractionated essential oils that have had the majority of theterpene materials and auxiliary fragrance materials removed such asthose disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,298,238 which have then had theterpene materials and auxiliary fragrance materials added back into theessential oil base (comprising eucalyptol) and then dispersed in acarrier at the levels according to the present invention. Furthermore,the compositions of the present invention may be prepared usingessential oils that have been specifically fractionated to providelevels of eucalyptol, terpene materials comprising -pinene, -pinene,-phellandrene or mixtures thereof, and auxiliary fragrance materialsaccording to the present invention when dispersed in the carrier of thepersonal care composition.

EXAMPLES

The following examples were manufactured using techniques known to thoseskilled in the art. The base fragrance (eucalyptol), terpene materialsand auxiliary fragrance materials were blended together separatelybefore being added to the compositions to give the final amountsspecified. The following examples are illustrative only, and notintended to limit the scope of the present invention.

Ex. 1 Ex. 2 Ex. 3 Ex. 4 Ex. 5 Ex. 6 Ingredient (% wt) (% wt) (% wt) (%wt) (% wt) (% wt) Petrolatum q.s. 100 q.s. 100 q.s. 100 — — 10 Water — —— q.s. 100 q.s. 100 q.s. 100 Ethanol — — — — — 20 Eucalyptol 6.655 0.71.305 0.25 0.45 5.00 pinene 2.5 0.5 0.3 0.05 0.1 1.3 pinene 0.3 0.01 0.30.05 0.05 1.5 phellandrene — — 0.01 0.01 — 0.5 Limonene 0.003 0.00060.0003 0.01 — 0.008 Linalool 0.0001 0.0001 0.0003 — 0.0005 0.001 BenzylAlcohol — — — — 0.0001 — Geraniol — — — — 0.0002 0.001 Chamomile Oil0.0001 — 0.15 0.10 — — Sodium — — — 11.80 11.80 — Laureth- 3-SulfateCocamido- — — — 3.25 3.25 — propyl Betaine Sodium — — — 0.50 0.50 —Lauroyl Sarcosinate Poly- — — — 0.10 0.10 — quaternium- 10 PEG-200 — — —1.00 1.00 — Glyceryl Palmate Potassium — — — 0.25 0.25 — Sorbate Sodium— — — 0.25 0.25 0.1 Benzoate Citric Acid — — — 0.30 0.30 — AnhydrousSodium Citrate — — — 1.00 1.00 —

All documents cited in the Detailed Description of the Invention are, inrelevant part, incorporated herein by reference; the citation of anydocument is not to be construed as an admission that it is prior artwith respect to the present invention. To the extent that any meaning ordefinition of a term in this written document conflicts with any meaningor definition of the term in a document incorporated by reference, themeaning or definition assigned to the term in this written documentshall govern.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have beenillustrated and described, it would be obvious to those skilled in theart that various other changes and modification can be made withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is thereforeintended to cover in the appended claims all such changes andmodifications that are within the scope of this invention.

1. A hypoallergenic personal care composition comprising: a. from about0.01% to about 15% of eucalyptol; b. from about 0.1% to about 10% of aterpene material selected from the group consisting of α-pinene,β-pinene, α-phellandrene, para-cymene and mixtures thereof; and c. ahypoallergenic amount, from about 0.0001% to about 0.01%, of anauxiliary fragrance material selected from the group consisting oflinalool, limonene, and mixtures thereof; wherein said composition isadapted for topical administration to babies and infants.
 2. Thepersonal care composition according to claim 1 comprising from about0.25% to about 6.65% eucalyptol.
 3. The personal care compositionaccording to claim 1 wherein the terpene material is a-pinene.
 4. Thepersonal care composition according to claim 1 comprising from about0.61% to about 2.5% terpene material.
 5. The personal care compositionaccording to claim 1 comprising from about 0.0001% to about 0.005%auxiliary fragrance material.
 6. The personal care composition accordingto claim 1 comprising reconstituted essential oils.
 7. The personal carecomposition according to claim 1 wherein the composition is selectedfrom the group consisting of a viscous liquid, gel, paste, andcombinations thereof.
 8. The personal care composition according toclaim 1 wherein the composition is a leave-on product.
 9. A method ofadministering the personal care composition according to claim 1comprising: a. providing the personal care composition of claim 1; andb. applying the personal care composition to skin of a healthy baby orinfant.
 10. The method according to claim 9 wherein the personal carecomposition is gentle to a baby or infant's skin.
 11. A method ofrelaxing a baby or infant comprising: a. providing the personal carecomposition of claim 1; and b. applying the personal care composition toskin of a baby or infant.
 12. A method of providing aroma therapycomprising: a. providing the personal care composition of claim 1; andb. applying the personal care composition to skin of a baby or infant.13. The method according to claim 12 wherein the personal carecomposition is gentle to a baby or infant's skin.
 14. A method ofcalming an infant comprising: a. providing the personal care compositionof claim 1; and b. applying the personal care composition to skin of aninfant.
 15. A method of soothing an infant comprising: a. providing thepersonal care composition of claim 1; and b. applying the personal carecomposition to skin of an infant.
 16. A hypoallergenic personal carecomposition comprising: a. from about 0.01% to about 6.65% ofeucalyptol; b. from about 0.61% to about 2.5% of a terpene material; andc. a hypoallergenic amount, from about 0.0001% to about 0.01% linalool;wherein said composition is adapted for topical administration to babiesand infants.
 17. The personal care composition according to claim 16comprising reconstituted essential oils.
 18. A method of soothing aninfant comprising: a. providing the personal care composition of claim16; and b. applying the personal care composition to skin of an infant.19. A hypoallergenic personal care composition comprising: a. from about0.01% to about 6.65% of eucalyptol; b. from about 0.61% to about 2.5% ofa terpene material; and c. a hypoallergenic amount, from about 0.0001%to about 0.01% limonene; wherein said composition is adapted for topicaladministration to babies and infants.
 20. A method of soothing an infantcomprising: a. providing the personal care composition of claim 19; andb. applying the personal care composition to skin of an infant.